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Alanna Blackie DeMos, Fulbright Canada Public Affairs and Alumni Relations Coordinator, for information about the program.

The Fulbright Arctic Initiative brings together a network of scholars, professionals and applied researchers from the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden for a series of three seminar meetings and a Fulbright residential exchange experience. At its core, the Fulbright Arctic Initiative will create a network to stimulate international scientific collaboration on Arctic issues using a collaborative method to translate theory into practice. Twelve outstanding scholars (at least 4 from the U.S. and at least 1 from Canada and each of the other Arctic Circle member states) will address public-policy research questions relevant to the shared challenges of arctic nations.

Co-Lead Scholars Dr. Michael Sfraga and Dr. Ross A. Virginia will provide intellectual leadership throughout the Program, in addition to mentoring program participants and facilitating discussion and collaboration among the Arctic Initiative Scholars. Program activities will commence in spring 2018 and conclude in fall of 2019.

Selected scholars will participate in an individual Fulbright exchange of a minimum of six weeks up to three months, as well as in-person seminars and ongoing virtual communication, all supporting the scholars’ collaborative research projects. Scholars will focus on collaborative work in multidisciplinary and multinational research teams, and will propose and carry out an individual exchange element.

The Fulbright Arctic Initiative will provide a platform for scholars from across the Arctic region to engage in collaborative thinking, analysis, problem-solving and multi-disciplinary research in one of two areas:

Resilient Communities: The Arctic is facing profound social, economic, and environmental change and communities are increasingly confronted with critical policy challenges related to issues of health and wellness, energy resource management, environmental protection, sustainability of the Arctic Ocean, infrastructure, indigenous rights, education, and regional governance. Further research is needed on ways to build social resilience in communities to adapt to changes across the Arctic. This research should focus on and ideally involve Arctic communities themselves and consider the application of indigenous knowledge to help inform policy at local to regional scales, as well as multi-disciplinary research to bring differing or complementary viewpoints.

Sustainable Economies: The rapid changes in the Arctic Ocean system resulting from sea ice decline, changes in water conditions, and increasing shipping and energy production have significance for Arctic nations, global markets, and coastal communities. The economic impacts of environmental changes and globalization in the Arctic, together with the region’s expanding connections to the global economy, require research to address how commercial opportunities can be supported and balanced with the need for sustained subsistence livelihoods in Arctic communities.

At the beginning of the program, an in-person meeting and program orientation will be held for all scholars, at which the Co-Lead Scholars and research teams will have the opportunity to begin working on collaborative projects and establish guidelines and goals before the scholars participate in their individual exchanges.

Under the guidance of the Co-Lead Scholars, the research teams will then collaborate virtually, utilizing an online platform throughout the program period. The entire cohort will gather to share progress and initial outcomes at a mid-term meeting to be held in a location TBD.

At the end of the program, Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholars will convene for the third and final meeting to share the results of their collaborative work and report on the achievement of program objectives and the local, national, and/or regional implications of their findings. Scholars will disseminate policy-relevant recommendations, describe the concrete steps they have taken in implementing their projects and models, and share strategies for moving their recommendations from theory to practice.

Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholars will receive funding in the amount of USD$40,000 for the duration of the program. This allowance is intended to support travel to all program meetings, travel and maintenance for the exchange visit, research materials and assistance for grantees only. Accommodations and meals for program seminar meetings will be covered separately. Grants will also include limited accident and sickness benefits.

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Featured Fulbrighters

Robin McLay (1998-1999) has occupied senior management positions at CIDA, the Canadian School for Public Service, the Institute for the Study of International Development (ISID) at McGill, and the MasterCard Foundation.

Michael Geist (1996-1997), Canada Research Chair in Internet and E Commerce at the University of Ottawa, was named one of the 50 most influential people in intellectual property by Managing Intellectual Property magazine.

Andrew (2010-2011) graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Hofstra University with a B.A. in Political Science. He Earned an M.A. in Critical Disability Studies from York University in Toronto while on his Fulbright Fellowship.

Dr. Sandy Y.M. Ng (2011-2012) was a member of the inaugural class of the Fulbright NEXUS Scholar program. A faculty member at Queen’s University, she took up her Fulbright award at Stanford University.

Dr. Shannon Risk (2008-2009) is Associate Professor in the Department of History, Director of the Womens' Studies Minor, and Fulbright Advisor at Niagara University. She is also a prolific writer and innovative storyteller.

Dr. Earl Fry (1995-1996), a professor of Political Science and endowed professor of Canadian Studies at Brigham Young University, spent his Fulbright year in Canada at the University of Toronto and has not looked back.

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About Fulbright

The Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States of America (Fulbright Canada) is a binational, treaty-based, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization with a mandate to identify the best and brightest minds in both countries and engage them in residential academic exchange.